‘Mortdecai’ allows Depp’s zany side to shine

“Mortdecai” is a funny spoof reminiscent of the old Pink Panther movies. The movie is based on the novel, “Don’t Point that Thing at Me,” by Kyrils Bonfiglioli.

The film stars Johnny Depp as Charlie Mortdecai and Gwyneth Paltrow as his wife. Juggling angry Russians, the British Mi5, and an international terrorist, raffish art dealer and part time rogue Charlie Mortdecai and his sidekick Jock Strapp, race to recover a stolen Goya painting rumored to contain a code that leads to hundreds of millions of dollars in lost Nazi gold.

Johnny Depp leads the cast as Charlie Mortdecai. The crazier and wilder the character, the more Depp shines. Paltrow as his beautiful wife, Johanna Mortdecai is intelligent, independent, seductive and controlling. She is the perfect foil for Depp’s zaniness. Ewan McGregor plays a gullible Mi5 inspector who tries very hard to start an affair with Johanna Mortdecai. Paul Bettany as Jock Strapp, Mortdecai’s valet/body guard round out the cast.

The stylish clothes and the beautiful large country estates add to the merriment of the film. There are a lot of sexual, homophobic and vomit gags but none of the jokes are too daring, slapstick, offensive or overboard.

Many critics have panned the movie, so, I was reluctant to go, but was very surprised to find that I enjoyed the film and found myself laughing out loud throughout the entire film. Yes, “Mortdecai” is silly and senseless but that is the charm of the movie. I asked more than 20 other people in the audience what they thought and everyone, young and old, said that they thought it was funny and would recommend it to their friends. If you want to go to a movie where you don’t have to think and just want to be entertained,“Mortdecai” is the movie for you. It opened Friday.

The Telegraph’s contributing movie critic Mary Cox holds a degree in film from University of California, Los Angeles and worked in L.A. with various directors and industry professionals. Cox attends screenings in St. Louis prior to wide releases.